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Lotus to enter GP2 in 2011

British sports car maker Lotus is entering a team into F1's main feeder category GP2 in 2011.

It was announced late on Tuesday that Group Lotus' Lotus Motorsport is entering GP2 next year with Nicolas Todt's top line team ART. Lotus Motorsport, an arm of the Proton-owned Lotus Cars, is entirely separate to Lotus Racing, the new F1 team headed by Tony Fernandes.

"We come together with a common goal: to continue our great success in motorsport," Lotus' communications boss Gino Rosato said.

The deal sees Lotus commit to "providing technical and engineering support for the GP2 and GP3 race series for the foreseeable future". Director of operations Miodrag Kotur added: "Lotus won't simply be partner in name only, ART will also benefit from our considerable engineering and technical support and experience."

Fernandes will also be linked to the GP2 grid in 2011, with his team to be called Team Air Asia, after his low-cost Malaysian airline.

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